Best Buy extends price-match guarantee

Best Buy says it will end 'showrooming' by extending its low-price guarantee.

Electronics giant Best Buy is extending its price-match guarantee in an effort to stop the practice of "showrooming," where customers check out products in its stores before purchasing them online.

The chain says it will now match advertised prices from brick-and-mortar rivals as well as 19 major online competitors, such as Amazon(AMZN), starting March 3. The price guarantees will be year round and apply to virtually all items. Previously, the company's price-match policy was limited to holiday shopping periods and featured items.

While Best Buy(BBY) has been suffering from weak sales and earnings, some experts say the damage from showrooming was probably overstated.

Craig Johnson, president of independent consulting firm Customer Growth Partners, said Best Buy's former management used showrooming as an excuse for bad sales.

"That has not been helpful to them, but they have problems prior to that which has nothing to do with showrooming," he said.

Johnson said the chain also has too much retail space that came from over-expansion in the past.